


Checkmate (discont.)

by goldcngrazer, orphan_account



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassination, Assassination Attempt(s), Beverly Marsh is a Good Friend, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie is a Prince, Eddie is oblivious, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Loves Mike Hanlon, Fluff and Angst, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Good Parents Maggie & Wentworth Tozier, Guards, Hurt/Comfort, Knights - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Not A Fix-It, POV Eddie Kaspbrak, Prince Eddie Kaspbrak, Reddie, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris Are Best Friends, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, eddie just wants to make his mother proud, richie is a dumb gay mess, richie is a guard, set in France, set in the 18th century
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24258910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldcngrazer/pseuds/goldcngrazer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Maybe Eddie should've listened to his guts. Maybe then everything would be okay. Maybe then, his father would still be here.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 10





	Checkmate (discont.)

It was raining that night, Eddie remembers that much. It was noisy and he was struggling to sleep that night. Now that he thinks back on it, he feels like he should’ve been able to tell something was wrong, as he’s always had a knack for that. Whenever he thinks back on it, he _wishes_ he had gone to check. 

His father, the king of Delurin, had decided to stay up later than normal, out in the garden. Or at least that’s what Eddie remembers him saying. The memories from that day are hazy, they come and go. All he remembers are his mother's horrified screams. She was, unfortunately, the one who found his corpse. He had been assassinated the night before Eddie turned ten years old. He had been extremely excited to spend his birthday with his father, he loved him to bits. 

Maybe, just maybe, if Eddie had listened to his guts, his father would still be here. Who knows if it would’ve been Eddie to go, but he doesn’t like to think on it. 

-

Eddie shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was the day before Eddie's sixteenth birthday, and his mother had been planning like crazy to make it enjoyable, though no one was visiting to celebrate. His mother was extremely overprotective of him after his father's death, even before that, she never allowed him out of the castle.

He smiled as Cornelia, the housekeeper of the castle (and the only person Eddie considers a friend), walked into his room. He sat sadly on a sofa, fiddling with his fingers with unease. Cornelia looked at him with a concerned face before asking, “Are you alright, Edward? You’re fiddling again.” 

“I’m quite alright Cornelia, just a little nervous for tomorrow. Do people celebrate my birthday in the village? Do they even know when it is?” Eddie asked, getting lost in thought.

Cornelia smiled sweetly, walking to hang Eddies clothes in his closet. “They celebrate you, Edward. They… have their suspicions on you though.” Eddie raised an eyebrow at that, looking at her with a confused look on his face.

“Suspicions? What do you mean?” he stood, walking to his window which faced the village.

“I’m not sure I should be the one to tell you the answer to that, Edward. I’m deeply sorry, your highness.” She smiled one last time, before leaving the room. 

Eddie sighed as he walked out his room, greeting the two guards positioned outside his room. After his father passed, his mother had hired many, _many_ more guards in fear of the same thing happening to him. 

As he walked, he focused on the sound of metal hitting stone as the guards followed him. He sighed again, knowing full well the scolding he would get if his mother heard him. 

_‘It’s unprincely’_ her voice rang through his ears, though he and the two guards were the only people in the hallway, _‘you’ll set a bad example on the royal family if a peasant heard you!’_

He rolled his eyes as he stopped outside the dining room, preparing himself for whatever he would have to put up with, his mother was a lot at times. He smiled as a thank you as the guard opened the doors for him as someone announced his presence. He took his seat, looking up at his mother as the servants put the plates and food in front of them. “Good morning, mother.” 

She looked up with an overjoyed grin, “Hello, Edward! Did you sleep well? It’s your birthday tomorrow! Are you excited?” Eddie groaned internally, looking down at his food.

“One question at a time, please mother?” he looked up at her as an annoyed look flashed across his face, “I slept fine, though it felt a little lonely. And I’m as excited for my birthday as I have been every other year. It doesn’t feel right without father here.” 

Eddie noticed a sombre look on his mother's face, but he chose to pay no mind to it, “He’s gone now, Edward. If that Tozier had done his job-”

“Mother, I know what he has done, you don’t need to discuss it every time I mention father,” Eddie cut her off, sick of hearing the same rant over and over again. 

“Yes, well-” she paused, taking a bite of her breakfast, “It’s your birthday tomorrow, what would you like as a present?” 

“I’m not sure, may I leave the castle and meet the village people?” he was just testing the waters, knowing full well that she would deny. 

“Edward. I’ve already told you, you mustn't go down there. That town is too dangerous for a fragile prince like you!” His mother argued, fed up with the topic.

_‘Here we go again’_ Eddie thought, taking a bite of his fruit.

“Well, will I ever be allowed down there? If I’m going to be king, I need to know what my- _our_ people are like!” Eddie argued back. All he wanted was to go down to the village.

“I won’t allow it, Edward! You’re going to get hurt alone!” 

Eddie stood, “Who said I’d be alone? Maybe- Maybe if you hired me a personal guard like father had! I’m sure I’ll be fine!” 

“Edward, sit down! You’re being indecent! And I’ve been looking for a guard, they just don’t match what I’m looking for!”

Eddie sat again with a frustrated huff and mumbled, “Are you even _looking_ ? Or are you just looking through the already hired guards?” he paused, taking another bite of his food, before talking again, loud enough so his mother can hear, “If you really want to make me happy, you’d look _harder_ for a guard. Maybe even before my birthday.” He smiled smugly, knowing full well that his mother would do _anything_ to make him happy.

“Edward-” she paused again, looking at her son with a frustrated face before speaking again, “I’ll try, I’ll see what I can do. I still don’t want you going down there.” Eddie smiled triumphantly, standing and thanking the servants before walking to the door and stopping, turning back to his mother.

“Oh, and can they be close to my age? I’d _really_ like a friend. Love you, mother!” He said, making a hand movement at the guard to get them to open the door for him, “One more thing, I’ll be in the gardens if you need me!” He grinned, walking out the dining hall, and out to the garden.

He’s always loved the gardens, his father had planted a tree with him on his fifth birthday, and Eddie loved it dearly. Sometimes, when he’s extra gloomy over his passing, he’ll sit under the tree and read from his poetry book with a pastry he stole from the kitchens. He even had his father buried under it. Today, however, he avoided the tree, going to the roses he and a groundskeeper planted together. 

He looked up at the sky, the blue sky was beautiful, it always was. It was sunny, causing Eddie to smile. He’s always loved the sun, his father taught him many myths about the sun. Why it’s there, how it got there. His father loved teaching Eddie myths, and Eddie loved listening to them. Sometimes Eddie thinks that he’d be an author if he weren’t the prince. 

Eddie walked through the garden for a little longer, smelling all the beautiful flowers and picking up strange leaves and sticks that caught his eye. Eventually, he grew bored. There was only so much a teenager could do when he’s not allowed to leave the castle. 

He idly walked back to his room. It was fairly large, which is to be expected for a princes room. His floors were a royal blue, made from a shiny marble that was polished regularly. The floor in which his bed was situated was slightly higher than the rest of his room, rounded at the edges with a large window and a balcony to match. The window has a gold lining, and the railing on the stairs matched. The roof above the sleeping area has a beautifully intricate design, and from some angles, it looked like the sun. 

Eddie walked onto his balcony and sighed, from there, he could only just make out the townspeople running around, going by their day to day lives. He watched as a carriage arrived through the castle gates, most likely their fresh foods or maybe even the books Eddie requested. Too lazy to check himself, he grabs a book from his shelf and goes to his sofa. The dim light of the lanterns shone on his tan skin. 

Eventually, he grew so comfortable that he fell asleep. He slept for a few hours before he felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently, “Edward, your highness, wake up. Supper is ready. Change into your dining wear and come down, your mother is waiting to tell you about the selections for a guard.” Cornelia explained, smiling gently as he woke from his slumber.

“Guards? I’ll be down as quick as I can. Thanks, Cornelia!” Eddie smiled back, placing his book on the table and rushing to get his fresh clothes. 

After changing, Eddie rushed to the dining room, pushing open the doors himself, “Hello, mother. I heard you have some guard selections? Let’s discuss them right away!” He spoke, sitting down quickly and looking at his mother excitedly.

“I have a few, most of them are a little older than you, but there's a few who are great fighters who are your age.” His mother explained, cutting her chicken off the bone and taking a bite. 

“I only want the ones close to my age, who’s the closest to sixteen?” Eddie asked, taking a sip of whatever drink had been put out for them that night.

“I don't like the boy, Edward. He is related to Wentworth Tozier. What if he gets you killed too? What if he slacks off when you need him? What if-”

“Mother, I want the boy closest to my age. I want a _friend_ . Can you _please_ hire him, mother? I’d appreciate it a lot” Eddie begged. He didn’t care if his mother didn’t trust that family, he just wanted to leave the castle, maybe he will fire him after his adventure if he didn’t like the boy. “Mother, please? It would be the best birthday gift ever!”

The queen was silent for a few moments, obviously running through all the scenarios that hiring the boy could go wrong in, before finally making up her mind, “Fine. I’ll send out an acceptance letter after dinner and declare it as an urgent delivery. But if you get injured in his presence, he’s being fired.”

“Really mother? Thank you! I love you!” Eddie beamed at his mother's decision and finished his dinner with a proud grin. 


End file.
